Salaries of the presidents of four private colleges in Michigan.

Pay for private college presidents on the rise, including in Michigan

PRIVATE PRESIDENTS: How well paid are the presidents of Michigan’s largest private colleges and universities with annual budgets of $100 million or more? We look at Hope, Hillsdale, University of Detroit Mercy and the Homer Stryker School of Medicine at Western Michigan University. They made between $1,137,144 and $306,993 in 2021, according to a new analysis by the Chronicle of Higher Education. Story also references Baker College with its five campuses. We talk to a U-D Mercy faculty leader, the Hope student body president and a national expert. By Alex Walters. FOR HOLLAND, HILLSDALE, DETROIT, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, CADILLAC AND ALL POINTS.

Ashley Kern, CEO of SightLine in Hancock

More small businesses embrace artificial intelligence

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SMALL BUSINESS: About one-quarter of small businesses surveyed in the state use AI for tasks such as marketing, data analysis and business operations. MSU and Central Michigan experts point out ethical issues.We hear from a company in Hancock that provides services to Michigan Tech and Grand Valley State, an Ann Arbor company that helps clients reduce food waste and the Small Business Association. For news and business sections. By Theo Scheer. FOR IRON MOUNTAIN, MARQUETTE, SAULT STE. MARIE, CORP!, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, DETROIT, CADILLAC, CLARE COUNTY, CRAWFORD COUNTY AND ALL POINTS.

Ericka Jackson is Wayne State University’s director of undergraduate admissions.

Admission guarantee for students with 3.0 GPA boosts applications to public universities

GUARANTEED ADMISSION: Ten of Michigan’s 15 public universities now admit any in-state student graduating high school with a 3.0 or higher GPA, a change intended to make the application process easier that is already credited with an increase in applications at some campuses. The Michigan Assured Admission Pact, or MAAP is part of an effort to raise enrollments. We see the impact at Oakland and Wayne State and hear from the Michigan Association of State Universities. Opting out of the program are U-M, MSU, Grand Valley, Western and Michigan Tech. By Owen McCarthy. FOR DETROIT, BIG RAPIDS, IRON MOUNTAIN, SAULT STE. MARIE, MIDLAND, GREENVILLE, BAY MILLS, ST. IGNACE, HOLLAND AND ALL POINTS.

Daniel Hurley is the chief executive officer of the Michigan Association of State Universities.

Humanities, arts, take hit as enrollments drop

HUMANITIES CUTS: Some public universities are cutting or restructuring humanities, arts and world language courses because of declining student interest. We talk to the Michigan Association of State Universities and learn about the situation at Oakland University, Central Michigan and Ferris State. By Anish Topiwala. FOR DETROIT, MARQUETTE, SAULT STE MARIE, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, WKTV, MIDLAND, LANSING CITY PULSE, IRON MOUNTAIN, BIG RAPIDS AND ALL POINTS.

Mid Michigan College President Tim Hood

Community colleges push to make adult education access easier 

Mid Michigan Community CollegeMid Michigan College President Tim Hood

By BRANDY MUZCapital News Service 

LANSING – Community colleges in Michigan are making moves to improve educational opportunities for their adult students. Brandy Johnson, the president of the Michigan Community College Association, said the Michigan Reconnect program has helped students above 25 years old get through school. 

Michigan Reconnect gives free or discounted tuition to adult learners to earn an associate degree or certificate. 

Johnson said it is easy to apply for the program. 

“Doing the application on your phone, it asks certain questions, which are the eligibility questions, and you hit submit and immediately what comes up is, ‘Congratulations, you’ve been admitted to Reconnect,’” she said. The eligibility requirements are minimal, Johnson said. 

“Be 25, have a high school diploma, live in Michigan for at least a year, want to pursue a certificate or degree, and that’s basically it,” she said. 

Tim Hood, the president of Mid Michigan College in Harrison, said that Michigan Reconnect has helped adult learners go back to school. “Without this funding opportunity and without the program, in many cases it made the difference between whether they were able to either return to college or come to college for the first time,” he said. Hood said that there is a focus on assisting students individually to keep them in school.

Members of the clay target shooting team at Mid Michigan College.

Community colleges revive sports programs

SPORTS: Some community colleges are expanding their athletics programs as a way to recruit and retain students and help athletes succeed academically, although sports facilities are expensive to build and maintain. Among them are Mid Michigan College in Harrison and Montcalm Community College in Greenville and Sidney. The Michigan Community College Association explains. For news and sports sections. By Kelsey Lester. FOR CLARE COUNTY, GREENVILLE, WKTV AND ALL POINTS.

Michigan Community College Association President Brandy Johnson

Community college trustees want right to vote remotely

OPEN MEETINGS:The state’s 28 community colleges want the Legislature to make it easier for their elected trustees to vote remotely at board meetings, but pending Open Meetings Act legislation by a UP senator wouldn’t accomplish that. We talk to the senator, from Vulcan, the Michigan Community College Association, a Glen Oaks Community College trustee in St. Joseph County and the Michigan Coalition for Open Government. By Liz Nass. FOR THREE RIVERS, STURGIS, LANSING CITY PULSE, MARQUETTE, IRON MOUNTAIN, SAULT STE. MARIE, ST. IGNACE AND ALL POINTS.

Alpena Community College has 16 apartments that are in high demand.

Community college students struggle with affordable housing 

COMMUNITY COLLEGE HOUSING: Community colleges are urging the Legislature to make it easier for them to afford to build housing for their students, many of them already hard pressed financially to attend. Their association wants $40 million in grants to help pay for construction of housing at about eight campuses. Twelve of the 28 public colleges offer housing, including Monroe Community College, Northwestern Michigan College, Southwestern Michigan College, Kirkland Community College, North Central College, Gogebic COmmunity College and Bay College.We hear from the Michigan Community College Association, and the presidents of Alpena and West Shore community colleges. By Kenzie Terpstra. FOR ALPENA, ALCONA, MONTMORENCY, TRAVERSE CITY, LEELANAU, MONROE, ADRIAN, BLISSFIELD, LUDINGTON, LAKE COUNTY, OCEANA COUNTY, MARQUETTE, IRON MOUNTAIN, DETROIT, SAULT STE. MARIE, PETOSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, CLARE, CRAWFORD COUNTY AND ALL POINTS.

Michigan State University assistant professor Anne Scott is testing a new method of controlling parasitic sea lampreys in northern Michigan streams.

New compound may expand sea lamprey control

SEA LAMPREY: A recently discovered chemical compound that makes it difficult for invasive sea lamprey to find their breeding grounds in Northern Michigan streams may be a new tool for controlling a parasite that threatens Great Lakes fish. We hear from the MSU fisheries and wildlife professor who leads the research team and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. By Ben Eiler. FOR LUDINGTON, TRAVERSE CITY, MONROE, MARQUETTE, ALPENA, SAULT STE. MARIE, ALCONA, HOLLAND, OCEANA, LEELANAU, PETOSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS, CADILLAC, CHEBOYGAN, ST. IGNACE, BIG RAPIDS, CRAWFORD COUNTY, BAY MILLS AND ALL POINTS.